The Americans with Disabilities Act

The Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law on July 26, 1990, and it remains this nation’s strongest measure protecting the rights of people with disabilities. The law bans discrimination based on disability and promises equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living and economic self-sufficiency for people with disability. The ADA guarantees the right to fully participate in all aspects of society – and we’re profoundly thankful for it.

Although there have been far-reaching improvements in access and accommodations for people with disabilities in the last 35 years, there is still a lot of work to be done. Today more than one in four adults (28.7%) in the United States have some type of disability – that’s more than 44 million people. In 2024, people with a disability were more than twice as likely to be unemployed than people without a disability and a 2019 report found that full-time year-round U.S. workers with disabilities earned 87 cents for every dollar earned by those without disabilities. They also face poorer health outcomes and barriers in access to health care.

Disability is one of many natural characteristics of being human. Some are born with disabilities; others acquire disabilities through accidents, illness or the aging process. Many people who do not presently have a disability now will have one in the future because disability is part of the aging process. As we celebrate the anniversary of the ADA, let’s reflect on what the law means for the one in four Americans living with a disability and recommit to the work that still needs to be done to ensure full inclusion and participation for all people with disabilities.